Hydraulic prime mover



April 13 ,1926.

J. E. BORDEN HYDRAULIC PRIME MOVER 5' 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.

BBS/N BA ov/y UUUUUD JAMES fps/1E Z50EDE/v Arrks April 13 1926. 1,580,806

J. E. BORDEN HYDRAULIC PRIME MOVER Filed Dec. 5, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 (95 r F g.2.

INVENTOR JAML S [HG/1R BURDEN ATTORNEYS April 13 1926. 1,580,806

J. E. BORDEN HYDRAULIC PRIME (MOVER Filed Dec. 5 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 1.580,806 April 13 1926 J. E. BORDEN HYDRAULIC PRIME MOVER Filed Dec. 5 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 mama /7 A? Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

' UNITED STATES v James EDGARBOBDEN, or roarsmooira'nnw HAMPSHIRE.

HYDRAULIC PRIME MOVEB Application filed December 5, 1921. Serial No. 519,911.

1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns EDGAR BoaonN, a' citizen of the United statesyresiding at Portsmouth, in the county of Rockinghain and State of New Hampshire, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic Prime Movers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hydraulic prime movers being more particularly intended for obtaining power by utilization of tides.

One feature of this invention relates to a system of storage basins or reservoirs utilizableto obtain a substantiallyuniform flow of Water through an impeller mechanism.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, together with other objects and advantageous details and combinations of parts, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings inwhich Figure 1 is a view largely diagrammatic illustrating thesystem of storage basins and the various relations of the impeller thereto.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section through a penstock and related parts. I

Figure 3 is a section substantially on line l0,10 of Figure 2.,

Figure l is a chart illustrating periods of time duringgwhich the various storage basins are active.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing the levels of water in the various basins with reference to tide water at various times.

Referring to Figure 1, a plurality of storage basins for water indicated by the members 1, 2, and 3 are shown fro-m which canals or passageways lead in various relations to the impeller or prime mover mechanism indicated at l. This mechanism comprises a float 5 open at its ends and carrying between its sides the impeller mechanismindicated at 6. At either end of this float penstocks 7 and 8 are positioned to deliver a flow of water from one side to the other of a channel 9 in which the float is placed.

As shown basin 1 is connected by a canal 10 with the penstock 7 and by a canal 11 directly. to tide water, suitable gates, being provided by which the flow through these canals maybe regulated. Similarly basin 1 2 is connected by a canal 12 to the penstock 8 and by canal 13direct-lyto tide water, control gates being also employed in these canals. The basin 3 connects through a canal 14 to the penstock 7 and through a canal 15 to the penstock 8, gates being here also employed to control the flow; i It may benoted that in this diagram certain of the canals have been shown in solid black lines andcertain by open lines. The solid black lines areintended to indicate flow from the basins to tide water, while the open lines indicate flow from tide water toxthe basins. The flow through the impeller mechanism is shown as from the stock 8L A I The gates referred to above'are indicated penstockfto the pen on the drawing as follows: 101 represents I the gate controlling the adjusting flow from tidewater to basin No. 1; 102 controls the flow from basin 'No. 1 to penstock 7 108 controls the adjusting flow 'frombasin No.

2 to tidewater; 104: from penstock 8to basin 8 No. 2; 10!) froin penstock 8 to basin No. 8; 106' froin'ba'sin No. 3 to penstock- 7; 107

from tidewater to penstock 7 and 108 from penstock 8 to tidewater. "The flow between the basins and water is then controlled as follows. half the lunar day, or the time" between two periods of high Water, is substantially twelve hours and twenty-four minutes and tide. Onethis time interval is divided into fourpe the first period below high tide being called the first stage, and low tide' as the sixth. At' the start of the first. period'the water in basin 2 is at the fifth stage while the tide is high. 'Operationof the machine is started by opening ates 107 full and 104 half way. During the first period the water passes from the high tide through the wheel to basin 2, this period being indicated by a single square in the channel 12. The flow of water is so regulated in basin 2 that at the end of the first period, the tide has fallen to the s'econdstage and the level of water in the basin 2 has risen to the third stage. Since during this period there is a gradual decrease of head between f tide water and the basin level, the gate'104 is first opened part way and then graduah ly opened full. At the end of the first period the gate 106 is openedsimultaneously with theclosing of gate 107. By this means, the water through channel 14 preserves the head necessary to maintain tailwater into basin 2. Gate 108 is at once opened simultaneously with the closing of gate 104, tailwater being thus diverted to tidewater so that basin 3 is connected through the canal 14 and the wheel to the tide. The water in basin 3 is at the first stage when this connection is made and the'water flows through the wheel to the tide which is now at the second stage. This second period extends from 2 :04 p. m. to 6 :12 p. in. The level of the basin 3 at the end of the second period is then at the fifth stage when the tide is out or at the sixth stage. During all this second period the head of water is at one stage, consequently the gates controlling the canal 14 are entirely open. The canals used in the second stage have been indicated by two squares in the line of the canal. During the last half of the second period another flow occurs which does not in any way affeet the impeller mechanism but takes place entirely independent thereof, this flow being merely-to. bring the level in basin 2 to a position where it may be later utilized.

This flow, which may be called an adjust ment How, is allowed to take place at 4:08 p. in. from the basin 2 which is at the third stage, the water wasting therefrom to the tide, which is at the fourth stage. At the end of the second period the level in basin 2 is at the fifth stage and the tide is out.

=' This occurs at 6:12 p. 111, when the gate 103 is closed. As this is the beginning of the third period of operative flow, gate 102 in canal 10 is opened simultaneously with the closing of gate 106 in canal 14, thus giving headwater from basin 1. This period extends to 8.216 p. m.

Three squares on the line of the canal indicate the canal in use during this period. At the start of the third period the water inbasin 1 is at the first stage and they tide is out or at the sixth stage. The gate 102 is. opened half way; with a gradual increase to. full opening duringthe period at the end of ,which time the water in the basin 1 has fallen to the third stage and the tide has risen to the fourth stage. The mininunnhead during this, time is therefore one stage.

The fourth period extends from 8:16 to 12:24 which completes one-half the lunar day. At the start of this period the gate 105 is openedwith the imultaneous closing of gate 108 so that tailwater is diverted through canal 15 into basin 3. Gate 107 is opened with the simultaneous closing of gate 102, admitting headwater from the tide. This flow is-indicated by four squares in the line of canal 15. At the start of this period e ide s. at e f u h ag and the water in basin 3 is at the fifth stage.

plate 7] At the end of this period the tide is high and the water in basin 3 has risen to the first stage. During this whole period therefore there is a head of water equal to one stage passing through the wheel.

During the last two hours of this period, or from 10 :20 to 12 :24 an adjustment flow is provided for basin 1 through canal 11 by opening gate 101. At the start of this adjustment period the tide is at the second stage and basin 1 is at the third stage. At the close of this period the tide is high and the water in the basin 1 has risen to the first stage. Gate 101 is then closed and gate 104 is opened with the simultaneous closing of gate 105, tailwater being thus diverted from basin 3 to basin 2. The levels of the water in the various basins are now in condition to repeat thesame cycle of operations through the next succeeding one half lunar day.

lln Figures 2 and 3 are shown details of the wnstocl; by which the water is delivered to and from the impeller mechanism. As these ponstoclzs are similarly constructed a description of one will be sufficient to give an understanding of the other. As shown the canal entrance to the penstock here indicated at terminates in a plate 71 suitably supported in the side wall of the channel 9. As here indicated this channel wall is composed of masonry and the plate 71 is seated in a recess therein. This plate has a substantially cylindrical socket 72 therein, the axis of the cylinder extending horizontally. The penstock 7. is formed at its inner end with a pair of circular side wall portions 7 3 and 74 substantially fitting this cylindrical recess and curved upper and lower walls 75 and 7 6 partially closing the space therebetween. Positioned at the axis of each wall 73 and 7 4 is an outwardly extending pivot member 77 and 78, which may, if desired, be formed integral with a plate 7 9 and 80. Each pivot 77 and 78 may be held journaled in the-lower end of a bar 81, 82 which is curved thereunder and which extends. upwardly along the inner face of the channel side where it may be supported by means of an upper plate 83 having ears 84 extending therefrom for this purpose and from ears 85 extending outwardly from the By this means an up and down motion of theouter end of the penstock is permitted without interrupting communication for the water from the channel 70 therethrough. The side walls 7 3 and 74 are inclined inwardly and terminate in a narrowed nozzle portion. 86, while the walls 7 5 and 76 flare outwardly so that the nozzle portion 86 is of considerable height thus preserving the cross sectional area of flow. This nozzle portion rides within the end of a channel formed in the float 5. to direct the water against the vanes of the impeller which also ride within it. As the float raises and lowers it is evident that the penstocks are carried therewith, their lower edges riding on the surface thereof.

In order to support the float in proper relation to these penstocks, in Figure 1 are indicated arms 90 and 91 extending from the side Walls 01. the channel 9 and having at their inner ends guide sleeves 92 and 93 for the slidable reception of posts 94 and 95 extending upwardly from the float 5. As many of these guides may be provided as is deemed necessary to insure a vertical motion of the float.

Having thus described an embodiment of this invention it should be evident to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, a prime mover having an inlet and an outlet and means for providing a continuous head of water through the prime mover, said means comprising three basins, inlet conduits connecting two of said basins directly with said inlet, outlet conduits separate from the inlet conduits and connecting two of said basins directly with said outlet, conduits connecting two of the basins, the inlet and the outlet with tidewater, and gates in said conduits to control the flow therethrough.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a channel having an inlet and an outlet, means for providing a continuous flow in one direction through said channel, said means comprising not less than three basins, inlet conduits connecting a plurality of said basins with said inlet, outlet conduits separate from said inlet conduits and connecting plurality of basins with said outlet, and U means for controlling the flow through all said conduits.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a system of basins, a prime mover having an nlet and an outlet, means independently connecting the inlet to a plurality of basins and to tidewater, and means separate from the first means and independently connecting the outlet to a plurality of basins and to tidewater.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a prime mover having an inlet and an outlet means for maintaining a continuous head of water in one direction through the prime mover, said means comprising three basins, inlet conduits connecting the first and third basins and tidewater with the inlet, outlet conduits separate from the inlet conduits and connecting the second and third basins and tidewater with the outlet, adjustment conduits separate from the inlet and outlet conduits and connecting the first and second basins with tidewater, and gates controlling the flow in all said conduits.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

JAMES EDGAR BORDEN. 

